Guide means for yarn handling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method and means are provided for rotating yarn guide means in a yarn handling apparatus in a timed relationship in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during the operation of said apparatus.

United States Patent Womer Nov. 19, 1974 GUIDE MEANS FOR YARN HANDLING [56] References Cited APPARATUS UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventor: Walter D. Womer, Greenville, S.C. 2,736,162 2/1956 Steinberger 57/61 2,831,311 4/1958 Berthold 57/60 [73] Assgnee' tgg s g 3,672,145 6/1972 Pfenningsberg 1. 242/128 x [22] Filed; Dec. 29, 1972 Primary Examiner-Leonard D. Christian [21] Appl. No.: 319,521 [57] ABSTRACT A method and means are provided for rotating yarn [52] US. Cl. 242/131, 242/157 R guide means in a yam handling apparatus in a timed {g 32 1 32 9 relationship in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during the operation of said apparatus.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENIL :81 191974 SHEET 1 BF 5 PATENIEmmwm 3,848,823

sum 30F 5 EA CI;

GUIDE MEANS FOR YARN HANDLING APPARATUS This invention relates to an improved yarn handling apparatus and a method of operating same.

Creels and other yarn handling apparatus are commonly employed for handling storing and supplying yarn to yarn processing machines, e.g., spinning machines, special yarn treating machines, textile machines, etc. Guide pins, guide rods, and other guide means, are commonly employed in said apparatus for guiding the yarn through various paths. The surfaces of said guide means become worn and/or irregularly grooved in a very short time by the passage of the yarn thereover. This wear can cause damage to the yarn, even before the wear on the guide means is visible. In the past it has been customary to schedule periodic replacement of the guide means. It has also been proposed to provide manually rotatable guide means which can be rotated manually to provide fresh surfaces to the yarn. See US. Pat. Nos. 3,278,137; 2,451,795; and 2,440,151.

The replacement of worn guides at scheduled intervals is obviously an expensive operation due to the cost of the guides, the necessity for at least a partial shutdown or interruption of operations, and the labor cost involved. Periodic manual rotation of the guide means is also expensive for the same reasons except for the cost of the guides. It would be desirable to have an improved means and method for extending the life of the guide means and preventing damage to the .yam.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by providing an improved means and method for rotating the guide means in a yarn handling apparatus during operation of the apparatus and in a timed relationship in accordance with the rate of wear of said guide means.

Thus, according to the invention, there is provided in a yarn handling apparatus comprising a frame, at least one yarn package mounted on said frame, and at least one guide means mounted on said frame for receiving yarn from said yarn package and guiding same during further handling thereof, the improvements comprising: rotatably mounting said guide means on said frame; and providing means operatively connected to said yarn guide means for rotating said guide means in a timed relationship during the time said yarn handling apparatus is in operation.

Further according to the invention, there is provided a method for increasing the useful life of yarn guide means in a yarn handling apparatus, which method comprises: rotating said guide means in a timed relament for guide changes, improving the uniformity of wear of the guide means, and markedly improving the uniformity of the processed yarn being handled. The latter advantage is realized by eliminating, or at least greatly reducing, the irregular wear and grooving of the guide means and the heat from increased friction which occur in the operation of prior art apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevation view ofa yarn handling apparatus, e.g., a creel, in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a portion of one shelf or other horizontal support member for the guide means in a yarn handling apparatus such as the creel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a plan view, partially in cross section, of a portion of the shelf or other horizontal support member illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view in cross section taken along the lines 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view in cross section illustrating one type of guide means in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic perspective view of another yarn handling apparatus in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of one type of guide means which can be employed in accordance with the inventron.

Referring not to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are employed to denote like or similar elements, the invention will be more fully explained. In FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, there is diagrammatically illustrated one embodiment of a creel assembly in accordance with the invention. Said creel assembly comprises a frame, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, and other elements mounted on or associated with said frame. Said frame can comprise any suitable framework and the invention is not limited to any particular type of frame or framework. The frame illustrated can be considered a double frame comprising front and back sides. For convenience and simplicity in description, only one side will be described. In said frame there is provided a first plurality of spaced-apart generally vertical support members 12 disposed in a first plane. If desired, depending upon the length of the frame, additional support members can be intermediate the end members shown. A second plurality of generally vertical spaced-apart support members 14 is disposed in a second plane generally parallel to and spaced apart from said first plane. Said generally vertical support members can comprise any suitable type, shape, or form of member suitable for the purpose intended. At least one first generally horizontal support member 16 is connected to said first generally vertical support members 12. At least one second generally horizontal support member 18 is connected to said second generally vertical support members 14. As here illustrated, said creel comprises four tiers, with each tier comprising a first and a second horizontal support member. However, it will be realized that the creel can comprise any number from one or more of said tiers of horizontal support members, depending upon the intended use and the desired capacity of the creel.

Said first horizontal support members 16 can comprise an angle beam or any other type of shelf structure capable of supporting thereon a plurality of guide means 20. Said guide means 20 can comprise any suitable type of guide means known to the art. As here illustrated, said guide means comprises a conventional pair of pins 22, spaced apart in offset or staggered relationship, and which are mounted in and extend through said first horizontal support member 16. Said guide pins 22 can be employed in the form illustrated in FIG. 4, or there can be disposed on said guide pins a pair of freely rotating tensioning discs of a type well known in the art. See FIG. which shows yarn 23 passing between discs 25 and in contact with guide pin 22. The purpose and operation of said tensioning discs are well known to those skilled in the art. As illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, said guide pins 22 are rotatably mounted in horizontal support or shelf means 16, preferably in suitable bearings 24. Thus, in this embodiment one end portion of said guide means 22 extends through shelf or horizontal support member 16. There is affixed to said guide pins 22, preferably on the end portion thereof which is below shelf or support member 16, a drive wheel 26. As here illustrated, said guide wheel comprises a sprocket wheel or other gear means adapted to coact with an endless drive chain, described further hereinafter. This is one presently preferred driving arrangement. However, it is within the scope of the invention for said drive wheel 26 to comprise any other suitable driving means such as a pulley adapted to receive a V-shaped belt. While said guide pins 22 are illustrated as being employed in pairs, it is within the scope of the invention to employ a single guide pin where feasible.

There is mounted on said second generally horizontal support member 18, at sapced intervals, a plurality of yarn package holding means or spindles (not specifically shown) which are adapted to have packages of yarn 28 disposed thereon.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown another type of guide means which can be employed in the practice of the invention. The guide means of FIG. 7 is similar to that illustrated in. FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. Said guide means comprises a threaded pin 22' having threads thereon which are adapted to coact with threads in horizontal support member 16'. A drive wheel 26 is fixed to the threaded end of pin 22', similarly as in the guide means of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. As here illustrated, said pins 22' are in the retracted position. In operation, the turning of drive wheel 26 are described hereinafter will advance guide pin 22' through shelf 16' and afford an additional manner in which fresh guide surface can be furnished to the yarns being passed over said guide pin. Thethreads on guide pin 22 afford a means for advancing the guide pin in-a predetermined and positively controlled manner.

Any suitable means can be employed for rotating the guide means such as those illurstrated in FIGS. 4, 5, 6,

7, and 8. Said guide means are preferably rotated continuously at a timed rate in accordance with the wear rate of the guide means. However, it is within the scope of the invention to rotate said guide means intermittently at predetermined timed intervals in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means. As illustrated in the drawing, the means for rotating said guide pins thereof, and an endless flexible driving link 36 extends around each drive wheel 32 on shaft 30, around said idler wheels 34, and is in contact wih said drive wheels 26 on guide pins 22. As here illustrated, said endless flexible driving link 36 comprises a sprocket chain or other suitable link member for engaging the teeth on the various described drive wheels. However, it is within the scope of the invention for said endless flexible driving link to be a V belt or other suitable endless driving element. Any suitable power means can be provided for rotating said shaft 30. As here illustrated, said power means comprises a gear box 50 positioned at the lower end (or at any other suitable location) of said shaft 30. A motor 37 is operatively connected to said gear box 50. Preferably, said motor 37 and said gear box 50 are adapted to continuously rotate said shaft 30, and thus continuously rotate guide pins 22 by means of driving link 36, during operation of the creel. However, if desired, a timer means 38 can be connected into the electrical power supply to said motor so as to intermittently start and stop said motor at predetermined intervals and thus rotate said guide means intermittently. It is also within the scope of the invention for said shaft 30 to be operatively connected to any other power means such as that driving a machine to which the yarn is being supplied.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated diagrammatically another yarn handling machine in accordance with the invention. Similarly as in FIG. 1, the yarn handling machine of FIG. 9 comprises a frame and a plurality of spaced-apart yarn packages mounted on said frame by means of suitable yarn package holding means. At least one yarn guidemeans, here shown to be a guide rod 40, is rotatably mounted on said frame in any suitable manner for receiving yarn from said yarn packages and guiding same during the supply of said yarn to a yarn processing machine. Similarly as in FIG. 1, said guide rod 40 is provided at one end thereof with a drive wheel 42. If desired, one or more other guide rods 44 and 46, each also supplied with a drive wheel on one end thereof, can also be provided depending upon the number of changes in direction it is desired to effect in said yarn as it is being delivered. An endless driving link 36' extends around the drive wheels 42 and the drive wheel on motor 37' to rotate said rods 40, 44, and 46. If desired, said guide rods 40, 44, and 46 can be threadedly mounted on said frame to permit horizontal advancing thereof in a manner similarly as described in connection with FIG. 7.

It is believed the operation of the apparatus of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in view of the above description thereof. The yarn guide means are rotated by means of flexible driving link 36 which contacts the drive wheels 26 and 42 on the guide means. Motor 37, or other power means, can be a low RPM means adapted to turn shaft 30 at the desiredrate. Preferably, as shown, a gear box 50 can be employed in combination with a conventional motor to turn shaft 30 at the desired rate. If desired, said gear box 50 can be a variable gear ratio type to enable shaft 30 to be turned at'variable rates.

. The particular rate at which the guide means is rotated will depend upon the rate of wear of the guide means in particular situations. Said rate of wear will depend upon several factors including the type of material from which the guide means is fabricated and the type of yarn being handled. For example, in a situation where the guide means is replaced once each week, the guide can be rotated one revolution per day. In other situations the guide can be rotated one revolution each three to four hours, e.g., rod guides which are employed as convergence guides. When employing guides having threads thereon, such as illustrated in FIG. 7 or which can be employed in the apparatus of FIG. 9, the threads provided on the guide can be fine threads, e.g., 32 per inch. Thus, for example, with one inch usable guide length, and at one revolution per day, the guide would have 32 days of useful life. At the end of this period the threads could be unscrewed and the guide used again for a period of 32 days.

While the invention has been described hereinabove with particular reference to creels employed for supplying yam to a yarn processing machine, the invention is not limited to creel apparatus. The invention is applicable to any other yarn handling machine wherein a yarn is passed over or through a guide means. For example, convergence guides of various types are commonly employed on machines for the melt spinning of synthetic filaments, e.g., filaments of various polyolefins, the various polyamides, etc. Thus, it is clearly within the scope of the invention to provide such spinning machines with means for rotating the convergence guide means thereon in accordance with the invention.

As used herein and in the claims, unless otherwise specified, the term yarn is employed generically to include both monofilament and multi-filament materials, and as defined further in ASTM Dl23-71.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative purposes, the invention is not limited thereto. Various other modifications orembodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure. Such modifications or embodiments are within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

I claim: 1 1. In a yarn handling apparatus comprising a frame, at least one yarn package mounted on said frame, and at least one guide means mounted on said frame for receiving yarn from said yarn package and guiding same during further handling thereof, the improvements comprising:

rotatably mounting said guide means on said frame;

and providing means operatively connected to said yam guide means for rotating said guide means in one of a first mode (a) continuously at a timed rate, and a second mode (b) intermittently at predetermined timed intervals, in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during the time said yarn handling apparatus is in operation. 2. A creel assembly for supplying yarn to a yarn processing machine comprising:

a frame; at least one yarn packagev mounted on said frame; at least one yarn guide means rotatably mounted on said frame for receiving yarn from said yarn package and guiding same during its supply to said yarn processing machine; and means operatively connected to said yarn guide means for rotating said guide meansin one of a first mode (a) continuously at a timed rate, and a second mode (b) intermittently at predetermined timed intervals, in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during operation of said creel. 3. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means for rotating said guide means is adapted to rotate said guide means continuously at a timed rate in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means.

4. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means for rotating said guide means is adapted to rotate said guide means intermittently at predetermined timed intervals in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means.

5. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein each said guide means comprises:

at least one guide pin rotatably mounted in said frame adjacent each one of said yarn packages; and

a drive wheel mounted on one end of said guide pin.

6. A creel assembly according to claim 5 wherein said guide pin is provided with threads on the end portion thereof which is adjacent said drive wheel.

7. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein each said guide means comprises:

at least one guide rod rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent a plurality of said yarn packages for receiving a plurality of yarns therefrom; and

a drive wheel mounted on one end of said guide rod.

8. A creel assembly according to claim 5 wherein:

said frame comprises at least two first spaced-apart generally vertical support members disposed in a first plane at least two second spaced-apart generally vertical support members disposed in a second plane spaced apart from said first plane, at least one first generally horizontal support member connected to said first generally vertical support members, and at least one second generally horizontal support member connected to said second generally vertical support members;

a plurality of said guide pins are mounted on said first horizontal support member;

' a plurality of said yarn packages are mounted on said second horizontal support member; and

said means for rotating said guide pins comprises a drive shaft mounted on one end of said frame, a drive wheel mounted on said shaft at essentially the same level as said drive wheels on said guide pins, an idler wheel mounted on the other end of said frame at said level, an endless flexible driving link extending around said drive wheel on said shaft, said idler wheel, and in contact with said drive wheels on said guide pins, and a power means for turning said drive shaft.

9. A creel assembly according to claim 7 wherein:

saidframe compfises at least two spaced-apart generally vertical support members, and at least one generally horizontal support member connected to said vertical support members;

a plurality of said yarn packages are mounted on said horizontal support member;

said guide rod is rotatably supported on said frame at a level above the level of said horizontal support member; and

said means for rotating said guide rod comprises a drive wheel operatively connected to a power means for turning same, and an endless flexible driving link extending around said drive wheel 11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said guide means is rotated continuously at a timed rate in accordance with the rate of wear of said guide means.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein said guide means is rotated intermittently at predetermined timed intervals in accordance with the rate of wear of said guide means. 

1. In a yarn handling apparatus comprising a frame, at least one yarn package mounted on said frame, and at least one guide means mounted on said frame for receiving yarn from said yarn package and guiding same during further handling thereof, the improvements comprising: rotatably mounting said guide means on said frame; and providing means operatively connected to said yarn guide means for rotating said guide means in one of a first mode (a) continuously at a timed rate, and a second mode (b) intermittently at predetermined timed intervals, in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during the time said yarn handling apparatus is in operation.
 2. A creel assembly for supplying yarn to a yarn processing machine comprising: a frame; at least one yarn package mounted on said frame; at least one yarn guide means rotatably mounted on said frame for receiving yarn from said yarn package and guiding same during its supply to said yarn processing machine; and means operatively connected to said yarn guide means for rotating said guide means in one of a first mode (a) continuously at a timed rate, and a second mode (b) intermittently at predetermined timed intervals, in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during operation of said creel.
 3. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means for rotating said guide means is adapted to rotate said guide means continuously at a timed rate in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means.
 4. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means for rotating said guide means is adapted to rotate said guide means intermittently at predetermined timed intervals in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means.
 5. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein each said guide means comprises: at least one guide pin rotatably mounted in said frame adjacent each one of said yarn packages; and a drive wheel mounted on one end of said guide pin.
 6. A creel assembly according to claim 5 wherein said guide pin is provided with threads on the end portion thereof which is adjacent said drive wheel.
 7. A creel assembly according to claim 2 wherein each said guide means comprises: at least one guide rod rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent a plurality of said yarn packages for receiving a plurality of yarns therefrom; and a drive wheel mounted on one end of said guide rod.
 8. A creel assembly according to claim 5 wherein: said frame comprises at least two first spaced-apart generally vertical support members disposed in a first plane, at least two second spaced-apart generally vertical support members disposed in a second plane spaced apart from said first plane, at least one first generally horizontal support member connected to said first generally vertical support members, and at least one second generally horizontal support member connected to said second generally vertical support members; a plurality of said guide pins are mounted on said first horizontal support member; a plurality of said yarn packages are mounted on said second horizontal support member; and said means for rotating said guide pins comprises a drive shaft mounted on one end of said frame, a drive wheel mounted on said shaft at essentially the same level as said drive wheels on said guide pins, an idler wheel mounted on the other end of said frame at said level, an endless flexible driving link extending around said drive wheel on said shaft, said idler wheel, and in contact with said drive wheels on said guide pins, and a power means for turning said drive shaft.
 9. A creel assembly accoring to claim 7 wherein: said frame comprises at least two spaced-apart generally vertical support members, and at least one generally horizontal support member connected to said vertical support members; a plurality of said yarn packages are mounted on said horizontal support member; said guide rod is rotatably supported on said frame at a level above the level of said horizontal support member; and said means for rotating said guide rod comprises a drive wheel operatively connected to a power means for turning same, and an endless flexible driving link extending around said drive wheel mounted on said guide rod and said drive wheel connected to said power means.
 10. A method for increasing the useful life of yarn guide means in a yarn handling apparatus, which method comprises: rotating said guide means in one of a first mode (a) continuously at a timed rate, and a second mode (b) intermittently at predetermined timed intervals, in accordance with the wear rate of said guide means during the time said yarn handling apparatus is in operation.
 11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said guide means is rotated continuously at a timed rate in accordance with the rate of wear of said guide means.
 12. A method according to claim 10 wherein said guide means is rotated intermittently at predetermined timed intervals in accordance with the rate of wear of said guide means. 